Posts for: April, 2016

It might seem that supermodels have a fairly easy life — except for the fact that they are expected to look perfect whenever they’re in front of a camera. Sometimes that’s easy — but other times, it can be pretty difficult. Just ask Chrissy Teigen: Recently, she was in Bangkok, Thailand, filming a restaurant scene for the TV travel series The Getaway, when some temporary restorations (bonding) on her teeth ended up in her food.

As she recounted in an interview, “I was… like, ‘Oh my god, is my tooth going to fall out on camera?’ This is going to be horrible.” Yet despite the mishap, Teigen managed to finish the scene — and to keep looking flawless. What caused her dental dilemma? “I had chipped my front tooth so I had temporaries in,” she explained. “I’m a grinder. I grind like crazy at night time. I had temporary teeth in that I actually ground off on the flight to Thailand.”

Like stress, teeth grinding is a problem that can affect anyone, supermodel or not. In fact, the two conditions are often related. Sometimes, the habit of bruxism (teeth clenching and grinding) occurs during the day, when you’re trying to cope with a stressful situation. Other times, it can occur at night — even while you’re asleep, so you retain no memory of it in the morning. Either way, it’s a behavior that can seriously damage your teeth.

When teeth are constantly subjected to the extreme forces produced by clenching and grinding, their hard outer covering (enamel) can quickly start to wear away. In time, teeth can become chipped, worn down — even loose! Any dental work on those teeth, such as fillings, bonded areas and crowns, may also be damaged, start to crumble or fall out. Your teeth may become extremely sensitive to hot and cold because of the lack of sufficient enamel. Bruxism can also result in headaches and jaw pain, due in part to the stress placed on muscles of the jaw and face.

You may not be aware of your own teeth-grinding behavior — but if you notice these symptoms, you might have a grinding problem. Likewise, after your routine dental exam, we may alert you to the possibility that you’re a “bruxer.” So what can you do about teeth clenching and grinding?

We can suggest a number of treatments, ranging from lifestyle changes to dental appliances or procedures. Becoming aware of the behavior is a good first step; in some cases, that may be all that’s needed to start controlling the habit. Finding healthy ways to relieve stress — meditation, relaxation, a warm bath and a soothing environment — may also help. If nighttime grinding keeps occurring, an “occlusal guard” (nightguard) may be recommended. This comfortable device is worn in the mouth at night, to protect teeth from damage. If a minor bite problem exists, it can sometimes be remedied with a simple procedure; in more complex situations, orthodontic work might be recommended.

Are you afraid to smile because your teeth are dark and yellow? You remember them being much whiter, but that was a long time ago and you’re older now. You don’t have to settle for a less-than-perfect smile just because a few years have gone by. It’s time to consider a teeth whitening treatment to improve your smile. Your dentists at Dr. George Salem and Associates, in Braintree, Massachusetts want to help you discover the magic of a teeth whitening treatment.

Aging changes your body, but it also changes your teeth. Your enamel becomes thinner and more transparent as you age. You and everyone else can see the layer underneath, called dentin, and dentin is naturally yellow. Dentin also darkens with age, resulting in teeth that are dull and dark yellow.

Your teeth will also pick up stain from the foods you eat, especially darkly pigmented foods like berries. Coffee, tea, and red wine are also major culprits for staining. If you are a smoker, you already know what tobacco stains do to your teeth.

If you’ve tried over-the-counter whitening products, you may have received some benefit, but your teeth still aren’t as white as you would like. Many of the products you can buy in the grocery store only remove surface stains. Professional teeth whitening treatments provide profound whitening that lasts. Your dentists at Dr. George Salem and Associates provide these teeth whitening options:

An in-office whitening treatment; professional strength bleaching gel is placed on your teeth and activated using a state-of-the-art light system. In-office whitening takes about an hour and the results can last up to five years!

At-home whitening kits-your dentists will make a set of trays, custom-fit to your teeth, and give you a supply of professional strength bleaching gel. You can wear the trays whenever you want.

Whether you decide on the speedy in-office whitening or the private convenience of at-home whitening, your dentists at Dr. George Salem and Associates are committed to helping you achieve the beautiful white smile you deserve. Call Dr. George Salem and Associates, in Braintree, Massachusetts to find out more about how teeth whitening can improve your smile. Call today and get started on your new white smile!

Teeth can take a lot of force over a lifetime of biting and chewing, thanks to enamel, their outer layer made of the strongest substance in the human body. Unfortunately, they’re not invincible: it’s even possible for you to break or “fracture” a tooth while biting or chewing normally.

Although such a fracture might seem to occur out of the blue, it’s usually related to a condition known as cracked tooth syndrome. It usually occurs in three stages: in the first, miniscule cracks in the outer enamel known as craze lines develop. They’re not immediately dangerous since they only involve the enamel surface; but left untreated they could deepen and progress to the next stage, a larger crack that penetrates the tooth’s underlying dentin.

If allowed to grow, this crack in turn can lead to the third stage, a full fracture that could extend down to the root. A fracture can put the tooth in danger of loss, especially if its inner pulp becomes exposed. To avoid this worst case, it’s best to treat the tooth at the earliest stage possible when craze lines are just developing.

There is a difficulty, though, with detecting craze lines — they’re small, too small to detect normally with x-rays. We, therefore, rely on other methods such as using an instrument called an explorer to feel for cracks, having the patient bite on a stick or rubber pad to replicate pain symptoms or using fiber-optic lighting with special dye stains to highlight possible cracks. Endodontists, specialists in root canals, can use microscopic equipment that’s quite adept at detecting craze lines.

There are also some signs you can be on alert for that might indicate a craze line or crack. If you feel a short, sharp pain — a “wince” — when chewing and releasing food, you could have a crack that hasn’t yet affected the nerves. If a true fracture occurs, the pain will intensify and you may notice pieces of the tooth coming off. If the crack extends to the root, the pain will become greater and more chronic.

It’s important then that you see us for any recurring pain symptoms as soon as possible. If it’s a crack, the sooner it’s treated the better your tooth’s chances for survival.